When City Meets Town, At School Clinton

February 24, 1994

Skits about black history were on the program, but learning about each other was the real agenda as students from Clinton's Eliot School and Bridgeport's Benjamin Franklin Education Center got together recently.

Black History Month provided the impetus for the city students' visit to Clinton. But what students from both schools quickly realized was the nervous shyness they all felt about meeting. Students in the largely white town and in the African-American and Hispanic group from the city were equally uncomfortable at first around each other. The students from Bridgeport seemed as apprehensive about going to Clinton as the town youths would have been going to the city.

The visit highlighted the often discussed cultural divide between the state's towns and cities. With the increased emphasis on racial and economic diversity in schools, it was a timely event. Adults as well as students learned from the exchange.

The town students marveled over the city youths' ability to walk just a block or two to reach a basketball court or a fast-food restaurant. Things are farther apart in Clinton. The city students remarked at the absence of violence in Clinton.

After formal presentations, the students began to relax. Some noticed that they were wearing similar types of clothing and generally had more in common than they first thought. The experience of sharing their racial and cultural differences and perhaps debunking some of their stereotypes let them see each other more as individuals.

No one field trip or exchange can be expected to bridge the gulf between urban and suburban students. But it can demystify the unknown and be the foundation for greater understanding.